Faith communities play a unique role in healing individuals, families and communities devastated by crime and cycles of incarceration. They can help build a community consensus around the challenges facing families with an incarcerated loved one and facing the individuals returning home from incarceration. Faith institutions, including faith-based organizations, but particularly houses of worship, can serve as resources for transforming neighborhoods into venues where family and social support are offered to those affected by crime and incarceration.

Healing Communities of Georgia is a network of diverse congregations of all faiths from across Georgia. Members of the Network collaborate to make their communities safer by working to heal the pain in neighborhoods and within families torn apart by crime, incarceration and victimization. Congregations within the Healing Communities Network actively engage in the practice of the principles of restoration of relationships and accountability within their worshiping communities.

Through the assistance of the Department of Community Supervision (DCS), Healing Communities of Georgia congregations are provided opportunities to learn and implement models through introductions to best practices, ongoing educational opportunities, and engagement in policy discussions. This will help strengthen their capability to work with returning citizen and help improve their lives through a spirit of forgiveness. These activities create a sense of welcome and inclusion for returning citizens, lessen their stigma and shame, and help transform their hearts and minds so that they remain crime free. As a result, communities are strengthened

Healing Communities was successfully piloted in cities across the U.S. by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private foundation working to help vulnerable kids and families succeed, and a toolkit was developed to provide assistance for congregations. Because of its proven success and ability to address a need in its collaborative-based model, the Georgia Prisoner Reentry Initiative (GA-PRI) is utilizing the Healing Communities approach as a strong, new component of the GA-PRI vision and mission which provides evidence-based and cost-effective pro-social support for returning citizens, their families — as well as, the victims of crime and their families. Healing Communities of Georgia is a unique approach that illustrates how corrections and faith institutions can work toward common outcomes while respecting the line between `church and state.' Healing Communities is currently under the auspices of DCS with support from the Faith and Justice Focus Group, a diverse body of key faith and justice representatives from across the state of Georgia.

LaFayette First United Methodist Church
301 S Main St
LaFayette,
GA 30728

Thursday, November 10, 2016 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (EST)

Organizer

Reentry Services Unit, Department of Community Supervision

The Re-entry Unit is tasked with: 1) identifying the programs and services offered by state agencies, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations 2) assessing the success and reach of those services and eliminating gaps 3) collaborating with state agencies and community organizations to facilitate the delivery of services and 4) reaching out to the business community and other nongovernmental stakeholders to create new opportunities for successful reentry.